subject: Leotards Are As Diverse As Their History [print this page] When it comes to dancewear, perhaps the most synonymous piece of clothing is the leotard. It has provided the backbone to many costumes and can be found in a number of different athletic and sporting disciplines outside of dance. Of course in any physical activity it is important that you are suitably dressed, there is no point turning up to play football in ballet shoes shall we say? Although this is highly unlikely, I'm using the extreme to highlight the obvious.
Any sport or athletic discipline that you choose to pursue will require a certain level of fitness to be achieved, it is true that in order to excel in most sports, a high level of what is known as "match fitness" is required. This term describes the physical state that you must be in, in order to compete in a full game or match. This state cannot be achieved simply through training as it is impossible to achieve this level of stamina without direct physical contact. So, it goes without saying that physical fitness is of paramount importance in the realm of sport and the like. It can also be claimed and substantiated that the clothing or apparel that you choose to wear during the performance/match/game etc. Is just as important, going back to the ballet shoes for football analogy above you can see why this is the case.
So, we move onto sporting attire, of which there is a huge and wide selection available, there are also many brands that spar for your attention. Like anything else sport and fashion now go hand in hand and one item that has been in and out of fashion over the years is the leotard. Originally designed over a hundred years to be worn by circus performers and acrobats, this one piece garment has had quite a journey. Nowadays it is made of Lycra and nylon blend (most commonly, although the more you spend the finer and more technical the material is), the material is perhaps not the most noteworthy feature of the leotard.
In fact, the very shape and fit of the leotard is what makes it so significant and useful across a broad spectrum of sports, arts and leisurely pursuits. You simply have to look back to the early 1900s when smog covered Brits would all rush to the seaside to escape the ever darkening city skies and enjoy a spot of leisurely bathing in the refreshing sea (only for the brave at heart!). The design allowed and still allows for the maximum range of movement that any garment can offer, it is neither restrictive nor too loose, instead it simply hugs and forms to the contours and curves of the wearers body so as to appear like a second skin.
Jane Fonda did it in the 1980's and so have the high street stores in the 2010's, the leotard is back with earnest, and it is this seasons fashion 'must have'. There are a great many designs from leading fashion moguls and thankfully you can pick them up for high street prices too.
